28 August 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IOWA STAGE THEATRE COMPANY HOLDS VIRTUAL GALA.
Songs and performances shared safely, with a greeting from Annette Benning
Iowa Stage Theatre Company, central Iowa’s home for award-winning theater that inspires, enlightens and entertains, is holding their annual Cocktails and Cabaret virtually this year. Oscar- and Tony-nominated screen legend Annette Bening will provide a video greeting for the guests, and there will be conversations with Tony-nominated actress Laura Osnes and Timothy Shew.
“Cocktails and Cabaret is an event of good times and great performances,” Matthew McIver, Artistic Director of ISTC, said. “To ensure the safety of our artists and audiences, we are going to broadcast the performances and amazing special guests to our ticket holders, and we have great food and cocktails as part of the bargain. This is a vital part of our fundraising efforts for our virtual season this fall.”
Two-time Tony-nominated actress Laura Osnes joins McIver and Broadway singer and actor Timothy Shew for a conversation about how creatives are dealing with the time of COVID-19. We also feature a song from Shew, and a song and conversation with Broadway and opera singer Roosevelt Credit. Then bid on the chance for Laura Osnes and Tim Shew to join a virtual cocktail party with the winner and five of their friends.
Photos L to R: Annette Bening, Laura Osnes, Timothy Shew, Roosevelt Credit
Annette Bening has won the Golden Globe, the SAG Award, the BAFTA and a Primetime Emmy in an acclaimed career that has spanned theater, film and television. Her work has spanned Arthur Miller plays and Marvel movies, and stretched from Hedda Gabler to American Beauty. She was approached through ISTC Resident Artist Company member Richard Maynard, who has appeared in A Christmas Carol and in Romeo and Juliet. Maynard is related to Bening’s parents, who are from Iowa.
Laura Osnes is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her performances in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Bonnie & Clyde. Other Broadway credits include Bandstand, South Pacific, and Grease. She reached Broadway as the winner of the reality competition show Grease: You’re the One That I Want.
Timothy Shew was Jean Valjean in the second year of the original Broadway cast of Les Misérables and has done many Broadway and national tour shows including The Scarlet Pimpernel, Guys and Dolls, Evita and most recently Hello Dolly.
Roosevelt Credit, actor and singer on Broadway and in Opera, will talk about life as an artist in the time of COVID. Credit has appeared on Broadway in Porgy and Bess and toured nationally in Showboat, in addition to singing internationally and at Barack Obama’s Pennsylvania Inaugural Ball.
The Conservatory in the East Village will both provide the food and cocktails for Cocktails and Cabaret, which attendees will pick up the afternoon of September 12th. It will also serve as the site for the streamed performances to take place that evening, featuring songs from Mary Bricker, Jonathan deLima, John Earl Robinson, Tom Geraty, Kim & Dan Haymes, Kenton Jordan, Katy Merriman, Taylor Millar, Craig Peterson, and Adam Yankowy.
Tickets are available at https://www.iowastage.org/event-details/cocktails-cabaret-2020, or by calling 515-309-0251. Individual tickets are are $125, and VIP packages for eight are available for $1500.
“We are excited to have this first streamed event, and looking forward to sharing more about our virtual season this fall” said McIver. “We are so grateful for our supporters and artists, and looking forward to sharing more in the days to come about our plans to put great shows on, while taking care of the artists and supporters who are the heart of what we do.”
Iowa Stage Theatre Company, founded in 2017, is a professional, home-grown theater company in central Iowa that creates high-quality audience experiences of the greatest stories ever told onstage, from the classics to the cutting edge. Led by Artistic Director Matthew McIver, our Resident Artist Company works to transform Iowa, its citizens, and arts community by producing truthful, relevant, and intimate theatre that inspires, enlightens, and entertains.
For Press Photos, please contact Laura Jordan at by email at ljordan@iowastage.org. For more information about Iowa Stage Theatre Company, visit us online at iowastage.org.